The Tennessee Titans lost one of their better pending free agents on Tuesday when running back D’Onta Foreman reportedly agreed to terms on a deal with the Carolina Panthers.
According to Josina Anderson of USA TODAY, it’s a one-year pact for $2 million.
So, how did the Titans lose Foreman, someone they almost certainly wanted back, to Carolina? There could be a few reasons.
The first guess is the money. While the $2 million doesn’t seem like a lot, it is a fairly significant price to pay for a backup running back who might play sparingly at best behind Derrick Henry — and that’s especially true with Tennessee being strapped for cash this offseason.
Also bear in mind the Titans paid less than that combined in 2021 for Foreman, Adrian Peterson, Jeremy McNichols, and Dontrell Hilliard.
Yes, Henry did suffer a serious injury that made Foreman extremely valuable in 2021, but we have to remember that such an injury is an outlier for Henry, even going back to before his professional career.
And that leads me to my next point: opportunity.
In Carolina, Foreman will be one of three backs on the roster with a chance to play, along with starter Christian McCaffrey and 2021 fourth-round pick, Chuba Hubbard.
With the former’s injury history, it’s easy to see why Foreman might believe he has a better chance at work with the Panthers than the Titans. To take it a step further, there have been rumors Carolina might be interested in trading the former No. 8 overall pick, which would be huge for the Texas product.
Assuming McCaffrey stays, let’s look at Foreman’s backup competition in Hubbard.
As someone who invested in Hubbard in fantasy football and watched a lot of him last season, I can tell you he’s no great shakes and Foreman can beat him out for work.
Granted, Hubbard, who averaged 3.6 yards per carry, was running behind a putrid offensive line, but he’s not some world-beater Foreman can’t surpass.
At the end of the day, it sucks that Foreman isn’t coming back, but this was something I expected. So, before anyone jumps to the conclusion that the Titans simply let Foreman walk, just know there could be a lot more to it than that.
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